Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-23

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some university students want to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subjects. Others believe it is more important to give all their time and attention to studying for a qualification. Discuss both these views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Whether students can study subjects other than those that belong to their university education has been the topic of debate for the past few decades. Some students believe, there should be no boundaries when it comes to learn something new.However, many other pupils are of the opinion that studying other subjects can divert the students' attention from the main subjects. This essay will examine both arguments with clear justifications and examples along with my opinion in the end.

Unfortunately, many students do not end up securing admission in their desired departments. Moreover, many times, students often discover their unusual interests in different subjects which lead them to pay more attention on articles and books that are not relevant to their main subjects. Hence, students start learning about other subjects.

Many students also believe that focusing on topics that are not linked with university qualification may have detrimental effects on the their academic performances. For example, one of my friends who was very active in extra-curricular activities could not secure grade A in final exams of class 10. Students might think If they focus more on content not related to their fields of study then they will not be able to ace their university qualifications. Hence, they do not appreciate this practice of learning other subjects.

In my opinion, it should be completely allowed to learn and develop skills other than university qualification to foster a sense of diversity and freedom among students with varying interests. A human being has a great potential to perform multiple actions at a time. Hence, I believe it is not a problem if someone wants to improve their skills beyond university education because ultimately it will benefit them in the end.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—learning other subjects versus focusing solely on a main qualification—and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as discovering unusual interests or the fear of hurting academic performance. However, some arguments lack full extension. For instance, the discussion on university admissions and unusual interests in the second paragraph is somewhat disjointed and under-developed. Similarly, the example of the friend in the third paragraph refers to class 10 rather than university context, which slightly weakens the direct relevance to the specific prompt. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at a Band 6.0 according to the descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding opinion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas. However, cohesion is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'Hence, students start learning about other subjects' and repeating 'Hence' in consecutive paragraphs create a repetitive and slightly rigid flow. Referencing is mostly clear, but the logical progression between sentences within paragraphs, particularly in the second paragraph, feels abrupt. These features align with the Band 6 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'detrimental effects', 'extra-curricular activities', and 'diversity and freedom'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'when it comes to learn' (instead of learning), 'lead them to pay more attention on' (instead of pay attention to), and 'It should be completely allowed to learn' (awkward phrasing). Spelling and word formation are generally fine, but these lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-like clauses ('Students might think If they focus more...') and participial phrases. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text. Examples include unnecessary commas ('Some students believe, there should be'), missing prepositions ('the their academic performances'), and issues with verb forms ('when it comes to learn'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from reaching Band 7.

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